What did the first cactus look like? An attempt to reconcile the morphological and molecular evidence

Griffith, M. Patrick

doi:10.2307/4135628

Cited by 22 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Blossfeldia is confirmed here as a basal cactoid lineage, and grows only in northern Argentina and Bolivia. While our sampling and resolution are insufficient within Opuntioideae to make inferences about the geographic distribution of its basal members, recent work of others has placed its earliest diverging lineages in Chile and Argentina (Griffith, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…They have been described as having superior to inferior ovaries, broad, flattened leaves with C3 photosynthesis, areoles with leaf production, dense, fibrous wood, a simple cortex without cortical bundles, poorly developed stem epidermal and hypodermal layers, nonsucculent tissues, and as inhabiting relatively mesic environments (Manseth and Landrum, 1997). This generalized depiction of Pereskia species has led botanists to believe that the stem succulent cacti are derived from woody, nonsucculent trees with C3 photosynthesis, as opposed to other growth forms (e.g., an herbaceous, succulent CAM plant) (Griffith, 2004).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Basal cactus phylogeny: implications of Pereskia (Cactaceae) paraphyly for the transition to the cactus life form

Edwards

Nyffeler

Donoghue

2005

American J of Botany

165

147

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The cacti are well-known desert plants, widely recognized by their specialized growth form and essentially leafless condition. Pereskia, a group of 17 species with regular leaf development and function, is generally viewed as representing the "ancestral cactus," although its placement within Cactaceae has remained uncertain. Here we present a new hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships at the base of the Cactaceae, inferred from DNA sequence data from five gene regions representing all three plant genomes. Our data support a basal split in Cactaceae between a clade of eight Pereskia species, centered around the Caribbean basin, and all other cacti. Two other Pereskia clades, distributed mostly in the southern half of South America, are part of a major clade comprising Maihuenia plus Cactoideae, and Opuntioideae. This result highlights several events in the early evolution of the cacti. First, during the transition to stem-based photosynthesis, the evolution of stem stomata and delayed bark formation preceded the evolution of the stem cortex into a specialized photosynthetic tissue system. Second, the basal split in cacti separates a northern from an initially southern cactus clade, and the major cactus lineages probably originated in southern or west-central South America.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Basal cactus phylogeny: implications of Pereskia (Cactaceae) paraphyly for the transition to the cactus life form

Edwards

Nyffeler

Donoghue

2005

American J of Botany

165

147

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“…Leaf morphological characters. -In Caryophyllales most studies on the evolution of leaf morphology, especially the reduction of the leaf blade, have been made in Cactaceae (Griffith, 2004(Griffith, , 2008Mauseth, 2007) and Amaranthaceae (Kadereit & al., 2006). Basal representatives in Cactaceae have expanded (flat and broad) leaf blades, mainly found in Pereskia Vell.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For a long time, the reduction of the leaf blade was interpreted as a derived character within Cactaceae, whereas the expanded leaf was considered to be the plesiomorphic condition. However, Griffith (2004Griffith ( , 2008 found the ancestor of Opuntioideae to have reduced and deciduous leaves, and therefore interpreted expanded and persistent leaves as a reversal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeated evolution of endoscopic peripheral vascular bundles in succulent leaves of Aizoaceae (Caryophyllales)

Melo-de-Pinna

Ogura

Arruda

et al. 2014

TAXON

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We investigated the presence and orientation of peripheral vascular bundles in leaves of 81 species representing 72 genera of Aizoaceae. Our study included a wide range of morphological shapes of leaves sampled from all four subfamilies of Aizoaceae, with an emphasis on succulent leaves found in Mesembryanthemoideae and Ruschioideae. Our anatomical studies revealed that only three of the four subfamilies in Aizoaceae have peripheral vascular bundles in their leaves, i.e., Sesuvioideae, Mesembryanthemoideae and Ruschioideae. Apart from Sesuvium (Sesuvioideae), all other species with peripheral vascular bundles have an endoscopic orientation, i.e., the phloem is positioned closer to the epidermis, whereas the xylem is pointing towards the interior of the leaf. This contrasts the situation in other Caryophyllales, where, with the exception of Borszczowia (Amaranthaceae), two different types of three‐dimensional venations were observed. The distinct types of three‐dimensional venation may in turn provide clues to the different pathways by which the similar leaves evolved. Endoscopic peripheral vascular bundles in Aizoaceae were only found in species with an expanded leaf base and (sub‐)cylindrical to trigonous leaves. Although flat‐bladed species of Aizoaceae generally have no peripheral vascular bundles, they were present in Delosperma tradescantioides (Ruschioideae: Ruschieae). Persistent, flat leaves are very rare within the hyperdiverse Ruschieae, which typically have (sub‐)cylindrical to trigonous leaves. Thus, the presence of peripheral vascular bundles in leaves of D. tradescantioides indicates that flat‐bladed, persistent leaves constitute a reversal within tribe Ruschieae. The additional presence of lateral bundles in the outer lamina of leaves of D. tradescantioides can be interpreted as a regain of planate venation. Mapping the evolution of peripheral vascular bundles onto a phylogeny of the Aizoaceae suggests that this character evolved repeatedly within subfamilies Mesembryanthemoideae and Ruschioideae.

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“…Considering the preeminent adaption of Cactaceae family plants to poor availability of water, their chronological occurrence in fossil records would be an indisputable indicator for hydrological conditions and change. Moreover, given that the temporal origin of the Cactaceae family and their evolution is still subject of discussion (Moreira-Muñoz 2011, Griffith 2004 fossil pollen records and identification to a (though limited but specific) taxonomic level may allow advances in this field of research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollen morphology of Cactaceae in Northern Chile

2015

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Chile is habitat to over 140 species of cactus of which 45% are endemic and most of them grow in the arid northernmost part of the country between 18°-32°S. As the Cactaceae family plants are quite well adapted to arid environments, their fossil pollen may serve as a tool to reconstruct past environmental dynamics as well as to trace some issues regarding the family evolution or even some autoecological aspects. Aiming to create a reference atlas to be applied to some of these purposes, the pollen morphology of the following 14 different species of the Cactaceae family from Northern Chile was studied under optical microscopy: Cumulopuntia sphaerica, Maihueniopsis camachoi, Tunilla soehrensii, Echinopsis atacamensis, Echinopsis coquimbana, Haageocereus chilensis, Oreocereus hempelianus, Oreocereus leucotrichus, Copiapoa coquimbana, Eriosyce aurata, Eriosyce subgibbosa, Eulychnia breviflora, Browningia candelaris and Corryocactus brevistylus. Pollen grains of species of the subfamily Opuntioideae are spheroidal, apolar and periporate whereas grains of the subfamily Cactoideae are subspheroidal, bipolar and tricolpate and can be taxonomically differentiated between tribes. The results show that it is possible to identify pollen from the Cactaceae family at the genus level but pollen taxonomic resolution may be complicated to identify up to a specific level. A wider reference collection considering more characters than those included in the present study could improve this aspect in the near future. KEYWORDS:Pollen morphology, Cactaceae, biogeography, palaeoecology, Chile. RESUMENActualmente crecen en Chile más de 140 especies de cactus, de las cuales el 45% son endémicas y la mayoría de ellas se distribuyen en la zona norte y más árida del país entre 18°-32°S. Como las Cactáceas se encuentran muy bien adaptadas a los ambientes áridos, el polen fósil de esta familia puede ser utilizado como herramienta para reconstruir la dinámica ambiental pasada así como para estudiar aspectos relacionados a su historia evolutiva o bien de su autoecología. Con el objetivo de crear una colección de referencia asociada a los propósitos mencionados anteriormente, se estudió con microscopía óptica la morfología del polen de las siguientes 14 especies de Cactáceas del norte de Chile: Cumulopuntia sphaerica, Maihueniopsis camachoi, Tunilla soehrensii, Echinopsis atacamensis, Echinopsis coquimbana, Haageocereus chilensis, Oreocereus hempelianus, Oreocereus leucotrichus, Copiapoa coquimbana, Eriosyce aurata, Eriosyce subgibbosa, Eulychnia breviflora, Browningia candelaris y Corryocactus brevistylus. Los granos de polen de las especies de la subfamilia Opuntioideae son esferoidales, apolares y periporados. Granos de la subfamilia Cactoideae son subesferoidales, isopolares y tricolpados y se pueden diferenciar taxonómicamente entre tribus. Los resultados indican que es posible diferenciar los granos de polen de las Cactáceas a nivel de género pero que debido a la resolución taxonómica de este análisis, la determinación a nivel de es...

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What did the first cactus look like? An attempt to reconcile the morphological and molecular evidence

Cited by 22 publications

References 18 publications

Basal cactus phylogeny: implications of Pereskia (Cactaceae) paraphyly for the transition to the cactus life form

Basal cactus phylogeny: implications of Pereskia (Cactaceae) paraphyly for the transition to the cactus life form

Repeated evolution of endoscopic peripheral vascular bundles in succulent leaves of Aizoaceae (Caryophyllales)

Pollen morphology of Cactaceae in Northern Chile

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